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, @uitrit v:ttttritfmt @frn Letters Patent No. 75,641, clatecljlfurch 17, 1868.

'IMPROVED MAGHIN FOR S'IUIIING HORSE-COLLARS.

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TO IIL` WI/IOM II MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, EDMUNDB. MILLER, of Grccneville, in the lcounty oi' Greene, and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and improved Machine for Stufling IIorse-Collars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being had I to the accompanying drawings, forming part of'this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is 'a top 'view oi' my invention.

Figure@ isa side elevation of the same; and

Figure 3 is a front or end elevation of the same. l

This is an improved machine for stuiiing the leather rim or roll of horse-collars with straw, in which the invention consists in an improved feeding-device, a new method of operating the machine, and anew method i of holding and adjusting the collar, by which it can he more evenly iilledrthan by hand.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the drawings. In the drawings, A represent-s thc bcd-piece, upon which the fra-mc F F of the machine is supported. B is a platform, upon which collar rests while'the process of stuffing it is going on. It is hinged to the vframe at ci, so as to he capable of' swinging horizontallyto, either side. ispo, brace, swinging on a pivot irr the same manner, for the purpose of supporting the outer end of the platform.- The platform has a longitudinal efficiency -for the purposes set forth.

vertical slot, I), near its outer end, the under edges of whi'ehare provided with a ratchet-rack, r.

C is a sliding'clzxmp, operating in the groove b, and provided with jaws, e c, closed oropenedrby a thumbscrew, e', which seize and hold one end of the leather tube while it is stuiling. The clamp C can easily be slid along the groovein either direction, by applying the forcevbenoath the platform; but, when applied to the jaws c e in a direction towards the bodyof the machine,`it causes the. lower part of the clamp-slide to catch in the rack 1', and prevent .the clamp from being drawn in that direction. t

D is another clamp, to hold the opposite end of the collar during the process, and of a very different construction from the former. It consists of two upright notched blocks, dd, fixed to the centre of a cross-beam of the frame F, and operating in connection with two similar blocks, ci' d', over them, ix'ed to a vertically sliding rectangular frame, E. l l

The frame E is provided with a spring or springs, e e, which, when allowed to operate, force it up, and open the clamp, releasing the collar, and with a treadle or lever, L, and connecting-rod L', by which the frame can be depressed, and the clamps closed. Y i

The collar, lying on the platform 13, and held by the clamps G D, is stuffed with straw fcdfrom zi. hopper, H, and thrust into the collar by aplungeiyP, operated by hand at the handle P', and guided hy passing through a cross-bar, I, and being attached to a frame, K, which runs horizontally on the long guide-rods G Grv Mis a basket, attached to the plunger, as shown, and heavily weighted, in order to give the'blow of the plunger greater steadincss and impetus. It is provided 'with an eye, m, hy which, by means of a long cord or chain, it can be suspended, so as to relieve the plunger of the burden of its great weight without impairing its N is a cylinder, of peculiar construction, being tinted, armed with rows of long teeth, and providd in the centre with a deep circumferential channehn, to admit the passage of the plunger. The office of the cylinder is to seize the straw in the hopper above, and bring it down within reach of the forked end, 7), of the plungerL It is found, lby practice, that the ilutings enahle'the straw to escape from the teeth of the cylinder more readily, and with less liability to be broken, than when a simple plane cylinder is used.

At the rear end of the machine, a. sleeve-socket, O, is fixed to the frame I, and hears within it a horizontal .rocker-shaft, R, to the inner end of which is Iirrnly fixed a long hentrarm, i', extending towards the machine, `its convex side up, and on the opposite side a weighted arm, fr'. I

The outer end of the rocker-shaft has fixed to it a crank, R'.

On the end ofv the cylinder-shaft is ixed a ratchetwheel, S, and alongside of it is hung a pivoted arm or lever, T, the upper end ofwhich is provided with a dog, T', moving the cylinder forward when the lower end of the lever 'Il is retracted. l

The lower end of the lever is joined to the crank R' by connecting-rod, The end of this connectingrod can be adjusted up and down on the lever T by means of a clamp, t, operating in a slot, t, in the lever. When moved up, the operation of the cylinder is accelerated; when depressed, it is retarded.

S is a. pawl, operating on the ratchet to prevent backward action.

The bent arm Ir is Se hung and arranged that its forward end is always below the lerel of the guide-rods G Gr, while its convex portion rises above that level by the operation of the weight, when no force is used to counteract that weight; but on the rods e v, which connect the handle P with. the sliding frame K, there is ixed a cross-bar, w, at a suitable point, such that, when the handle and plunger are drawn hack, the cross-bar w will strike the bent arm and depress it, operating the shaft R, connecting-rod U., lever T, and cylinder N, and feeding down additional straw for a new charge for the plunger when it moves forward again. The cross-bar re can be disused, and the cross-bar of the frame K employed in its place, it preferred.

In stuiiing a collar on this machine, the rim of the collar is filled throughout from the same end, and the machine should be made long enough for that purpose. While the rim is being stuffed, the collar is secured by the clamps C and D; but, when the rim is filled, we have no more use for the clamp'C, the rim itseii` being iirm enough to keep the collar out in its proper position on the platform while the buige is filling. The facing of fibrous material, finely-cut straw, or other suitable substance, is inserted in the collar by means of :t i'unnel `and'stick before the collar is placed on the machine to be filled out with the long straw.

When the collar is secured in the clamps with the facing in it, it lies in one ofthe beds Y Y, cut in the end of the platform near the cylinder, and shaped like the bulge of the collar, in which situation gravity naturally throws the facing into that part of the collar which comes next-to the horses shoulder.

The beds Y Y being deepest at the largest part of the bulge, and the plunger' being secured onl a straight line with the slides, thedoublcd ends of the long straw are all thrown. on top of the facing, or near the front of the collar, thus leaving the face of the collar perfectly smooth, without any lumps to hurt the horse, such as are often found in collars stuffed by hand. The filling of the rim from end to end also makes a better and smoother collar than when itis filled from each end, as has been done hitherto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The beds Y Y in the platform B, when constructed and used in the manner and for the purpose specified.

2. The tinted cylinder N, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. l

3. Operating the cylinder N by means of the arms, shaft R, crank R', rod U, dog T, and ratchet-wheel S, in connection with the plunger P or traction-rods v t', when the several parts are constructed and combined substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination of the clamp D, constructed and operating as shown and described, with the treadle L and eonnccting-rod L', in the manner and for 'the purpose shown.

5. The swingingplatform B, havingl the cla-mp C, rack r, and the beds Y Y, substantially as and for the purpose described. d

6. The weighted basket M, provided with an eye, m, and connected with the plunger P, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

T. The slotted arm or lever T, when used in combination with the clump t, dog T', and ratchet-wheel S, substantially as and for the purpose described. I

To the above specification of my machine for stning horse-collars, I have set my hand, this 26th day of December, 1866.

. EDMUND B. MILLER.

Witnesses:

JAMES Jonas,l

W. D. CULvER. 

